BHUBANESWAR : A fresh controversy surrounding land for a hotel project near Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) has reignited concerns over the long-pending notification of the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the protected area.
Despite threats of habitat loss, sources said, the state government has not been able to secure final notification of the ESZ for Similipal which supports the largest population of elephants as well as tigers in Odisha.
The Similipal and adjacent Hadagarh wildlife sanctuaries and buffer of Similipal Tiger Reserve, located in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts, are spread over an area of 2,907 square km.
The Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary has an area of 2,305 sq km, while STR is spread over 2,750 sq km. The Hadagarh wildlife sanctuary covers an area of 191.60 sq km.
A draft notification declaring 1,765.29 sq km area, with an extent varying from 0 (zero) to 5 km, around these protected areas as ESZ was published by the MoEFCC in January 2019 seeking objections and suggestions from public for a period of 60 days.
However, the ESZ Expert Committee of the ministry in its 35th meeting in June 2019 sought more clarity from the state government on core and buffer areas of STR and Hadagarh sanctuary after the state wildlife wing cited that the 2,907 sq km area of the two protected habitats has been published in the draft wrongly as 5,246 sq km.
The ministry also refused to agree with the state government’s proposal to include mining as regulated activity beyond one km of the proposed ESZ and clarified that mining operations will be carried out in such areas in accordance with the order of the Supreme Court.
The state was also asked to submit a report on public consultation on the matter and a report that the proposed ESZ area will not result in humanwildlife conflict.
Though six years have passed in between, sources said there has been little progress in the matter and the final notification of the ESZ still remains pending.
Meanwhile, ‘Bhanja Sena’, a socio-cultural organisation of Mayurbhanj district, has sought intervention of National Green Tribunal (NGT) to prevent establishment of the proposed hotel project on over 100 acre land near STR.
It claimed that absence of ESZ is leading to a confused situation and making sensitive patches of land along STR boundary vulnerable to increased human activities.
A senior official from STR said the matter will be pursued to ensure the ESZ is notified this year.